Sacmi will establish a new research lab dedicated entirely to the theme of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things. This proposal, presented to the Region of Emilia-Romagna as part of a tender to attract investment in cutting-edge sectors of regional industry, has now been greenlighted by the regional administration (based in Bologna). Another five projects, presented by another five companies in other sectors, were also approved.
The goal of the project is ambitious: to build an open hub, also capable of developing and coordinating third party projects, in strategic Industry 4.0 fields such as the development of digital simulation software, network simulation systems and electronic simulation. The anticipated investment is expected to be 3 million euros, 50% of which will be funded by the Region. The staff at the new facility will, in part, consist of persons already working at the Imola Research Center on Industry 4.0 projects. Alongside them will be about twenty new hires. They will include IT engineers, automation engineers, electronic engineers and big data analytics experts.
One of the key goals of the project - which has already passed phase one of the tender - is to act as a bridge between public and private research systems and the local economy. The project is scheduled to get under way in the first few months of 2018 following technical checks by the Emilia-Romagna Region. The Region's president, Stefano Bonaccini, underlined the fact that such initiatives favour "the overall attractiveness of our system, drawing not just resources and ideas from advanced Industry 4.0 sectors but also know-how, which then merges with the outstanding professionalism, skills, research and innovation our companies are famous for".
There will also be close-knit synergy between the new Lab and Academy 4.0, the cross-business corporate project launched two years ago by Sacmi to establish a physical meeting place where innovation and smart industry matters can be discussed. The specific task of the “Internet of Things” Lab will be to govern technological transfer processes, especially in the automation, inspection system and ICT fields. Project goals also include the establishment of a “showcase” that will be made available to local students eager to complete their training and begin working in such fields.